Tag Archives: Tennessee Eastman Explosion 1960

The Friends of the Archives of the City of Kingsport will host their Annual Meeting and Betty Gibson Memorial Lecture on Tuesday, October 29, 2013. The meeting is held in conjunction with American Archives Month and welcomes guest speaker Pete Lodal, whose topic will be “The Eastman Explosion.” The event is free and open to the public. Lodal’s presentation will be highlighted by archival footage and photographs of the memorable day in Kingsport’s history.

A reception will be held in the Mead Auditorium of the Kingsport Public Library Tuesday night at 6:00 pm and the program will begin at 6:30 pm.

On October 4, 1960, Eastman Chemical Company’s Aniline Plant exploded sending a plume of black smoke that could be seen for miles, causing the deaths of 15 people, and injuring 200 more. Residential homes in the area received damage and debris from the explosion was found throughout the area.

A piece of 8mm footage shot during the explosion and donated to the Archives was recently transferred to a high-quality, digital format and will be shown during the lecture.

Pete Lodal has 33 years of experience with Eastman Chemical Company and has spent the last 16 years in process safety and loss prevention. The Friends of the Archives are enthusiastic about the appeal that coverage of this topic will have for Kingsport residents who remember or who have family members who were affected by the disaster.

The Kingsport Public Library is located at 400 Broad Street in downtown Kingsport. Free parking is available on the street and in the lot behind the library on New Street. For more information, please contact the archives at 423-224-2559 or follow the archives blog at https://kingsportarchives.wordpress.com/. New members to the Friends of the Archives are always welcome and needed.